Beverage-vending device



Jan. 12 1926.

H. A. THOMPSON BEVERAGE VENDING DEVICE Filed March 24. 1924 2 s t sh t 1 Jan. 12 ,1926. 1,569,157

A. THOMPSON BEVERAGE VENDING DEVICE Fi led March 24, 1924 2 Shees-Sh99t z (I and! Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

1,559,157 PATENT OFFICE;

HARRY A. THOMPSON, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE MOXIE COM- PANY, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATIOH OF MAINE.

BEVERAGE-VENDING DEVICE.

Application filed March 24, 1924. Serial No. 701,298.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. Tnomsox, a citizen ofthe United statearesiding at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beverage-Vending Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention isa'beverage vending device, consisting'of a portable carrier and cooler for vending bottled beverages.

It is common'today at public gatherings such as fairs, ball games and the like, for vendors of products to circulate among the spectators disposing of their wares. Those selling bottled beverages commonly carry the bottles in a pail or other container, with or without ice. In hot weather it is very dc.- sirable to carry the bottles surrounded by cracked ice and the ice water from the melted ice, in order to satisfy the desire of the purchaser for a cold drink. In serving such chilled beverages the bottle when removed for delivery is wet, either by ice water or by condensed atmospheric moisture and in the case of ladies, such bottles are especially objectionable, as the drip may be ruinous to gown or gloves.

The objects of my invention are to provide a vending carrier for bottles havin means to apply ice for cooling the bottles, while in the carrier; also means to charge the carrier with cracked ice quickly in such fashion that the cracked ice will not interfere with the inserting of bottles into the carrier or removal therefrom; also n'ieans to prevent liquid from the carrier escaping during the vending process; also means to carry a supply of tubular drip catchers and means to secure the device to the personof the vendor, so that it will not swing away from his erson nor transversely.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 isia top plan view of my device;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device in use;

Figure 4 is a. sketch View, showing the application of the drip catching device;

Figure 5 is a top lan view of the ice pan, when first loaded with cracked ice;

Figure 6 is a similar view after the ice an has been raised to discharge the cracked we from the bottle chambers.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view on a reduced scale on line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the ice pan, partly in section. p y

In the drawings, Avis the. cover part, B is the ice pan and C is the carrier.

The carrier part is a strong metal tray preferably shaped on one side as shown, to fit against the front of the vendor, having upstanding sides 0 and rovided with eyes 0 to which may be attac ed a strap or the like,c to pass over the shoulders of the vendor and support the carrier, and eyes a to which may be attachedbelt straps c to hold the curved side, 0, of the carrier snu ly against the person of the vendor.

T ecover part A is designed and shaped to fit over the carrier 0 and around its inher edge surface a gasket, a, of felt, cloth, rubber or the like, is carried by the wall 0 of the carrier to contact with the inner surface of the cover and seal the carrier when the parts are assembled. The cover is provided with a multiplicity of perforations, a ,.of a size adapted to the bottle which is to be carried. The cover is also preferably provided with depending watertight boxes a a, for a purpose to be hereafter explained.

The carrier and cover are respectively provided with coacting means to secure the two parts firmly together, in the present instance, hooks a upon the cover A and tog 1e links 0 c which, in operation, after llIlI c has been engaged with hook a may be shortened by forcing down the connection between 0 and 0 until the dead-center is passed, 0 being hinged as shown at 0 to the outside of the wall 0 of carrier C. The release is effected by reversing this action. The bottom of the ice pan B has multipl perforations as at b, to correspond with the l perforations ofthe cover, that is, a perforation 6, is directly beneath each perforation,

a In addition the ice pan is perforated as. 100 shown at b beneath that part of the cover which carries the boxes a a. Around each perforation b, b is secured a wall I) of suitable material, preferably perforated and preferably of metal, the height of this wall 105 being a little less'than the depth of the earner C, thus forming preferably tubular, upstanding chambers 6 open top and bottom. The walls 6 of these chambers are preferably perforated as at b to permit 110 The cover is secured to the carrier b access of ice water to the interior of the chamber b. The ice pan is provided with side walls 6 and one side b is curved to fit the carrier.

It is to be noted that in the vendin of bottled beverages it is important to re uce the labor and time element as much as possible, that is, it is desirable that the loading of a carrier. with bottles and ice should be easily and quickly accomplished and that in use, the contents of the carrier should be retained in the carrier and not distributed upon the vendor or other persons.

The operation is as follows: To load the ice pan B the an is removed from the carrier C and is lled with cracked ice,'which enters the chambers b and fills the spaces between the chambers. This can be quickly and easily done. The ice pan is then'lifted and all the cracked ice that was lodged in the chambers b will then. fall through the perforation at the lower end, clearing the chambers b but leaving the ice that has lodged between the upstanding chambers. The'ice pan B is now replaced in the carrier C and the cover A is placed in osition, the depending boxes a, a entering t e upstanding chambers b, above which they come. means of the hooks a and links 0, 0 an bottles are placed in the chambers b throu h perforations a. The cover, as the mate es are drawn down, resses the gasket 0' against the under sur ace of the cover, sealing the carrier at this point. The water tight depending boxes a" and a are supplied with straws and drip catchers respectively, the shoulder stra a and belt strap 0 are adjusted and t e vendor is read. The belt strap 0 it will be observed see Fig. 3) draws and holds the device against the person of the vendor so that the projecting rear-side walls a engage the sides-of the vendor, so that the carrier cannot swing laterally and the vendor has full and free use of both arms. I

In selling a bottle of beverage, the bottle is lifted out, one of the paper drip-catchers D (see Figure 4) is taken from box a and applied and the bottle, with straws taken from the receptacle a is delivered to the customer.

Duringlthis operation the vendor may lean or shift is position in making change and delivery, without danger of the carrier swlnging out of osition and with full use of both hands. he drip catchers D are preferably of pa er or the like and are slightly conical, t e upper or open end of the drip catcher being slightly lar er than the bottle to which it is to be app ied and the bottom slightly smaller. This enables the drip catcher to be easily applied and the slight space at the. top between the bottom and the dri catcher receives the descending drip. he bottle as it is shoved into the drip catcher wedges near the bottom and gives a good frictional engagement lli etwesn the bottle and the drip catcher (see I claim:

In a beverage vending device, in combination, a carrier, having a liquid tight bottom and side walls; an ice open topped pan, fitting within the carrier having a bottom, provided with a multiplic ty of perforations, partitions surrounding each perforation, forming chambers gipen top and bottom, with spaces separating a jaeent chambers, open at the top only; means to carry and support the carrier.

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 21st day of March, 1924.

HARRY A. THOMPSON. 

